How to Change the Screensaver on Any Device

Screensavers have been around since the early days of personal computing, and while their original purpose — preventing phosphor burn-in on old CRT monitors — is largely obsolete, they remain a popular way to personalize your screen, display useful information, or add a layer of privacy when you step away. Changing your screensaver is straightforward on most platforms, but the exact steps vary depending on your operating system, device type, and version.

What Is a Screensaver and How Does It Work?

A screensaver is a program that activates automatically after your device sits idle for a set period of time. It replaces your static display with an animation, image slideshow, clock, or blank screen. On modern LCD and OLED displays, burn-in is far less of a concern than it once was, but screensavers still serve practical purposes — hiding your open work from passersby, displaying ambient information like weather or clocks, or simply reflecting your personal style.

Screensavers are controlled by your operating system's display or personalization settings. They are distinct from wallpapers (your desktop background) and lock screens (the image shown when your device is locked). Changing one doesn't change the others.

How to Change the Screensaver on Windows

Windows has offered screensaver settings in roughly the same place across Windows 10 and Windows 11, though the path has shifted slightly.

On Windows 10 and Windows 11:

1. Right-click on your desktop and select Personalize
2. Navigate to Lock screen in the left sidebar
3. Scroll down and click Screen saver settings (Windows 10) or look for the Screen saver link (Windows 11)
4. In the Screen Saver Settings dialog, use the dropdown menu to choose from available screensavers
5. Set your preferred idle wait time (how many minutes before the screensaver activates)
6. Check On resume, display logon screen if you want a password prompt when returning
7. Click Preview to see it in action, then hit Apply

Windows includes several built-in options: Blank, Bubbles, Mystify, Photos, Ribbons, and 3D Text. Third-party screensavers can be installed by downloading .scr files and placing them in your C:WindowsSystem32 folder.

How to Change the Screensaver on macOS

Apple has simplified and shifted screensaver controls over different macOS versions, particularly in macOS Ventura and later.

On macOS Ventura, Sonoma, and later:

1. Click the Apple menu → System Settings
2. Select Screen Saver from the sidebar
3. Browse the available styles — macOS offers landscape photography screensavers, shuffle options, and the iconic Flurry or Drift animations
4. Click Options on any screensaver to customize its behavior
5. Set your idle time under Lock Screen settings (separate from screensaver settings in newer macOS)

On macOS Monterey and earlier:

1. Go to Apple menu → System Preferences → Desktop & Screen Saver
2. Click the Screen Saver tab to browse and select

macOS screensavers tend to be visually polished, and many tie into the Aerial-style dynamic wallpapers. Third-party screensavers for macOS typically install as .saver files dropped into ~/Library/Screen Savers.

How to Change the Screensaver on Android and iPhone 📱

Android doesn't use traditional screensavers in the same way desktop operating systems do. Instead, it offers a feature called Daydream (on older Android versions) or Screen Saver (on Android 8 and later), which activates while the device is charging or docked.

To access it:

1. Go to Settings → Display → Screen Saver (path varies by manufacturer and Android skin)
2. Choose from options like Clock, Colors, or Photo Table
3. Tap When to start to set activation conditions

iPhone and iPad do not have a traditional screensaver feature. iOS uses a Lock Screen with customizable widgets, clock styles, and wallpapers, which is the closest equivalent. The StandBy mode introduced in iOS 17 functions similarly to a screensaver when the device is charging in landscape orientation, displaying clocks, photos, or widgets.

How to Change the Screensaver on a Smart TV or Streaming Device 📺

Many smart TVs — including those running Roku, Android TV/Google TV, Fire TV, and Samsung's Tizen OS — include screensaver or ambient mode settings.

Options typically include slideshows, clocks, or platform-specific ambient displays.

Variables That Shape Your Options

The screensavers available to you — and how much you can customize them — depend on several factors:

• Operating system version: Newer OS versions may move settings or change which screensavers are included by default
• Device manufacturer: Android phones from Samsung, Google, or OnePlus each have different UI skins that place settings in different locations
• Third-party software: Some applications (like media players or presentation software) override system screensaver settings while running
• Display technology: OLED screens can still experience burn-in with static images, so some users prioritize Blank or moving screensavers for this reason
• Power settings interaction: On laptops especially, screensaver settings interact with sleep and hibernate settings — a screensaver may never activate if the device sleeps first

Custom and Third-Party Screensavers

Beyond built-in options, both Windows and macOS support third-party screensavers. Popular categories include:

• Live weather and clock displays
• Aquarium and nature simulations
• Photo slideshow engines with more control than the built-in Photos screensaver
• System monitoring displays showing CPU, RAM, and network activity

Installing these requires downloading from a trusted source, since .scr files on Windows are executable — the same caution you'd apply to any downloaded software applies here.

Why Your Screensaver Settings Might Not Behave as Expected

A screensaver that won't activate — or activates too quickly — is usually a settings conflict rather than a malfunction. Common causes include:

• Power plan settings set to sleep before the screensaver idle timer triggers
• Applications that suppress sleep (video players, video calls, presentation software) also block screensavers
• Mouse or keyboard activity from connected peripherals resetting the idle timer
• Group Policy restrictions on work or school-managed Windows machines that disable screensaver changes

The right screensaver setup — timing, content, and behavior — depends heavily on how you use your device, what display you're running, and whether your machine is personal or managed by an organization.